Laurence Maroney, the newest Bronco, won’t be on the field for Sunday’s home opener against Seattle, but the running back said Friday he’s enjoying a “fresh start” with the Broncos since arriving here via a trade with New England on Tuesday.

The Broncos sent their 2011 fourth-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for Maroney and a sixth-round pick in the same draft.

“I’m not going to say I needed it, but it is always helpful to have a fresh start, a clean slate and start over from the beginning,” Maroney said in his first group interview at Dove Valley. “All I want to do is come out here and help and do anything possible to help the team win.”

Maroney joins a backfield that already includes starter Knowshon Moreno and No. 2 back Correll Buckhalter, who have split carries since the start of 2009, and Lance Ball. Maroney said it is too early to know what his role will be here but that he’s just happy to be part of the group.

“I’d love for this to be a long-term thing. It’s one of those things where you know Denver is going to run the ball and it’s one of them things with ‘Buck’ and ‘Know’, I’m not coming in there trying to take anybody’s plays away or anybody’s shine, I just want to come in and fit in and help the team win, just be part of a winning team,” Maroney said.

Maroney has not practiced this week because of a thigh injury — the injury kept him out of the Patriots’ opener last week as well — but he said his health is improving. He said he was hopeful that he would be able to play Sept. 26 against Indianapolis.

Maroney, who was a first-round draft pick in 2006, admitted that his four years in New England didn’t work out as well as he or the team had hoped. He said he understood that as a first-round pick he was held to a higher standard — both from fans and from the media.

“They definitely criticized me a lot, but it’s OK. I was a first-rounder so I felt like they were looking at me in a bigger light than everybody else. But it’s one of those things, it’s over with now. That was then and I’m here with the Broncos and now I’m focusing on my future here,” Maroney said. “Don’t get me wrong, there is always some stuff I could have done different or wanted to do different or wished I could have done if I had the chances to do, but I didn’t have those chances but now I’m just focusing on my future here in Denver and being the best player I can be for them.”

About a month ago, I talked to a Broncos player about the certainty that was the team trading Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler.

The player said Marshall was going to put some stress on the club because Marshall is one of the league’s top 10 players, and they had to get something close to a first-round pick in return for him. The Broncos eventually got two, second-round picks. Even if next year’s second-rounder has a present-day value of a third-round pick, that’s a present-day package of second and third-round picks — or the equivalent of a first-round pick in the 20s overall. Pretty good.

But Scheffler, the Broncos player said, was another matter. The player felt Josh McDaniels was so finished with Scheffler that the Broncos would release him if they couldn’t get anything back in a trade.

Denver Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler has been traded to the Detroit Lions. (David Zalubowski, The Associated Press)

Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler and a seventh-round draft pick have been traded to the Detroit Lions in a three-team trade that sends the Philadelphia Eagles’ fifth-round draft choice to Denver and Detroit outside linebacker Ernie Sims, a former top 10 draft pick, to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Say this for the Broncos: They have taken the high road when it comes to granting the wishes of disgruntled stars who want out. Star quarterback Jay Cutler demanded a trade last year and the Broncos worked out a deal with the Chicago Bears, the team he rooted for while growing up in Indiana.

Brandon Marshall made it clear he wanted out and the Broncos traded their top receiver last week to Miami, which is down the road from his hometown in Orlando.

And now the talented Scheffler has been sent to Detroit, an hour’s drive from his hometown of Chelsea, Mich.

Kyle Orton spoke with the media at a press conference on Tuesday, April 6, 2010. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton on Friday became the fourth of the team’s restricted free agents to sign his tender.

By signing the tender, Orton is fully under contract for 2010, with a salary of $2.621 million this season. Orton was paid $1.05 million in 2009, his first year in Denver.

That leaves only outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil as the last of Denver’s restricted free agent who has yet to sign his tender. Dumveril, who led the NFL in sacks in 2009, received the highest-level tender from the Broncos, with a $3.168 salary.

Dumervil is not expected to sign his tender anytime soon, and it is unclear whether Dumervil, who is spending his offseason working out in Miami, will report for the Broncos’ mandatory minicamp, which starts on June 11.

Right guard Chris Kuper was the first to sign his tender last month. Brandon Marshall signed his on Tuesday to allow the Broncos to trade him Wednesday morning to Miami. Tight end Tony Scheffler faxed his signed tender to the team Wednesday and will likely be traded soon.

Further evidence that the Brandon Marshall trade to Miami was brokered by his agent Kennard McGuire — once he passes his physical, he will sign a new four-year, $47.5 million extension that includes $24 million in guarantees.

The new deal, in terms of average annual salary of $11.875 million, makes Marshall the NFL’s highest paid receiver.

To be sure, the Dolphins surrendered much more that two second-round draft picks for Marshall. The Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets also made plays for Marshall. The Seahawks, however, didn’t offer the type of guarantee that Miami did, and the Jets settled for Pittsburgh receiver Santonio Holmes for the bargain-basement price of a fifth-round draft pick.

The Broncos had been through too much drama with Marshall to seriously consider investing in him long-term. The team did present a multiyear offer, worth an annual average of $9.5 million, to Marshall, but the contract language included a small guarantee and several safeguards against misconduct.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall has been traded to the Miami Dolphins for a second-round draft pick in next week's NFL draft and a pick in 2011. In this photo, he fires up his team during the New York Giants game on Nov. 26, 2009, at Invesco Field at Mile High. (Joe Amon/The Denver Post)

The exhilarating, maddening, starstruck career of Brandon Marshall as a Denver Bronco is finished.

Pending a physical, Marshall has been traded to the Miami Dolphins for a second-round pick that the Broncos will use next Friday in the NFL Draft and another second-round pick in the 2011 draft.

While it’s debatable whether the Broncos should have traded Marshall in the first place _ he is coming back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons _ they were able to get decent compensation considering Arizona was able to get little more than a third-round draft pick for Anquan Boldin and Pittsburgh only got a fifth-rounder for Santonio Holmes.
What a whirlwind 24 hours for Marshall, who on Tuesday posed for a magazine photo shoot in Los Angeles, signed his restricted free agent tender with the Broncos, learned late Tuesday night-early Wednesday morning he was getting dealt to the Dolphins, and then was on his way to Miami early Wednesday morning for a physical.

With the Broncos, Marshall posted three consecutive 100-catch seasons, two consecutive Pro Bowls, but also several distracting disturbances both on- and off-the field — and no playoff appearances.

The trade to Miami was surprising because Dolphins coach Tony Sparano had said he didn’t think Marshall would be a good fit for his team. However, Bill Parcells has final say on Dolphins personnel and Parcells has never been afraid of working with controversial-but-talented receivers. See Terry Glenn in New England, Keyshawn Johnson with the New York Jets and Terrell Owens in Dallas.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' Santonio Holmes flexes during the third quarter of a Denver Broncos-Steelers game on Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, at Invesco Field at Mile High. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

This can’t be good. Or maybe it is, if you’re among the group who believes the Broncos would be better off keeping receiver Brandon Marshall.

The Steelers get nothing more than a fifth-round draft pick from the New York Jets in exchange for talented-but-troubled receiver Santonio Holmes? Ugh. Ugh, ugh, ugh for the Broncos who want a first-round pick for talented-but-troubled Marshall.

There are differences, sure. It can be argued Marshall is better than Holmes, even if Holmes has averaged a whopping 4.0 more yards per catch (16.3 to 12.3) during their respective four-year careers.

Any chance of the Broncos working out a deal with Shanahan may have evaporated Sunday night when the Washington Redskins acquired quarterback Donovan McNabb. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

Not that there was much chance of Mike Shanahan swinging a deal with his old Denver friends, anyway, but Easter Sunday didn’t make it easier on the Broncos or Brandon Marshall in their quest to separate. Any chance of the Broncos working out a deal with Shanahan may have evaporated Sunday night when the Washington Redskins acquired quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Shanahan was the Broncos’ head coach for 14 seasons until he was fired after the 2008 season. He is now getting ready to coach his first season with the Washington Redskins.

To lure McNabb away from their NFC East division rival Philadelphia Eagles, the Redskins parted with their second-round pick, No. 37 overall, in the upcoming NFL draft. That No. 37 pick would have been appropriate compensation for the Broncos as they seek a deal for Marshall. The Redskins also have the No. 4 overall draft pick, but that is widely considered too much compensation for Marshall.

The Seattle Seahawks remain the best bet for Marshall. They have the No. 6 and 14 overall picks in the first round and 60 in the second round. The Seahawks clearly don’t want to part with their No. 6 pick as one month after visiting with Marshall, they have yet to submit an offer sheet to the restricted free agent receiver. The deadline for teams to sign restricted free agents other than their own is April 15.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler leaps over the Detroit Lions' Julian Peterson to score a touchdown on Oct. 4, 200, at Soldier Field. Today is the one-year anniversary of the Jay Culter-Kyle Orton trade between the Broncos and the Chicago Bears.

Ah, April 2. It’s a day that probably doesn’t mean that much to most you, but it means an awful lot to the Broncos — and the Chicago Bears.

Yes, it has now been a full calendar year since the Broncos traded star quarterback Jay Cutler to the Bears in exchange for a slew of draft picks — including two first-rounders — and quarterback Kyle Orton.

Even after 365 days, it might be a bit premature to declare a definitive winner in the trade, but I think it would be fair to say that neither side is regretting the decision. Sure, the Year 1 of the Jay Cutler era in Chicago didn’t work out quite as well as anyone hoped. Cutler was revealed to not be more turnover prone than anyone in Chicago was expecting him to be, but it also showed the Bears that they need to upgrade the pieces around Cutler.

The Broncos went 8-8 with Orton (the same record they had in 2008 with Cutler) and were able to draft several young players (like first-rounder Robert Ayers) with the picks they got from the Bears. Coach Josh McDaniels has said this spring that Orton remains the team starter moving into the 2010 season and that he is confident that Orton will be much improved this year with more time in the Denver offense. McDaniels has routinely pointed out that Orton’s Bronco experience only started last April — which isn’t much time for a starting quarterback to completely master an offense.

So, Broncos fans, tell me what you think: Who won — Denver or Chicago? What do you remember about the day that big trade went down? Are you over it yet? Do you wish Cutler well or do you root against him now? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

I don’t want to say the Denver media has come along way with their local quarterbacks since the days of Jake Plummer and Jay Cutler, but photographers and reporters just met Brady Quinn.

The Denver Post’s APSE-award winning reporter Lindsay Jones was about to ask the first question when Quinn asked that she stop. Quinn wanted everyone to introduce themselves before asking their questions. He wanted to put some names to faces.

Plummer and Cutler were good guys in one-on-one settings. I admired Plummer for seemingly going out of his way to not be friendly with the press, which endeared him to his no-talk-to-the-media offensive linemen. And it was Plummer who broke in Cutler. Those two often bristled in group settings.

Last year’s group of Kyle Orton and Chris Simms were extremely accommodating. Simms is as good as it gets as a guy, but it seems Quinn is off to a good start in replacing him. Perhaps there’s some Cleveland media people who got sideways with Quinn but he’s made a favorable first impression here.

He says his injured foot has healed, by the way. Seven-step drops, plant, throw, no pain. No problem.

Has a player with only 397 career rushing yards ever developed a cult following like Peyton Hillis?

Maybe so, but I can’t think of any.

In two short seasons here in Denver, Hillis managed to become one of the team’s most popular players with Broncos fans. There was even a billboard on Colfax with Hillis giving a Mile High Salute.

Broncos fans loved Hillis because he was gritty and tough. They loved his hard-hitting running style and loved that he picked up the tradition of the end zone salute. They loved that he scored two touchdowns in his first start at tailback against Atlanta in 2008, and loved that he rushed for 129 yards in a win on the road, and in the rain, against the New York Jets.

With 343 yards, Hillis was the team’s leading rusher in 2009.

But Hillis never found his niche in Josh McDaniels’ offense in 2009, and it certainly didn’t help that Hillis fumbled a couple of times early in the season and failed to covert a short yardage opportunity early in the season at Oakland. He had only 13 carries, for 54 total yards, last season. But he generated far more interest — I easily received more emails and Twitter messages about Hillis than any other Bronco last year — and the most passionate fan base.

And now, Hillis’ time as a Bronco is over — he’s heading to Cleveland as part of the trade that is bringing QB Brady Quinn to Denver — and is probably for the best. Hillis never climbed past No. 3 on Denver’s running back depth chart last year (and didn’t even get carries late in the year when both Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter were banged up), and there was no reason to believe that would change in 2010.

An NFL source has confirmed the Broncos have acquired quarterback Brady Quinn from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for running back Peyton Hillis, a sixth round pick in 2011 and a conditional pick in 2012 that is tied to Quinn’s playing time.

Kyle Orton remains the Broncos’ starting quarterback. The trade is contingent on physicals for both Quinn and Hillis. Quinn did have a season-ending foot injury last season.

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.